Spades

Spades #1

by Kristy Evans

Calise Thomas grieves her mother's death.

As she trains with Chris and his friends at a cabin in the woods, she realizes why they live in the forest - to hide their professional identities. With each of them wearing a spade tattoo, she tries to investigate the purpose behind the mysterious mark, even while the breath of life consumes her.

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Mystery, Amazon, Paranormal Romance

244 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 10, 2011

About the author

Get Inspired @
GranityStudios.com
kristyevansbooks.com
kristyevans.blogspot.com

Reviews

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Spades, Cave of Mirrors" is the intriguing third book in a series that's filled with mystery and romance. As the story opens Calise and her partner Chris are rigorously training so that she can harness her blossoming powers and prepare for their first mission together. Alone, their housemates away on missions their romance begins to sizzle even when their ex's try to tear them apart. But will the circumstances behind the mysterious death of a former Spade damage their love?

The characters infuse life into the story with their complex personalities. Calise, a suicidal teen has transformed into a strong-willed, competitive and determined Spade who still suffers from periodic bouts of insecurity. Chris, her coach and partner is level-headed, calm, in love with Calise, but hiding secrets from his past. In this novel the chemistry between the lovers and partners Tre and Porsche, Kevin and Blue still burns, but the couples are faced with problems that may drive a wedge between them. Add to these notable characters the vain, vindictive Vanessa; the persistent, suspicious Charlie and the enigmatic Guardian, Jack. All bring passion and strength to this storyline.

Although there were grammatical errors throughout the text, they in no way detracted from a plot that's absorbing and slowly builds in intensity although the ending will reveal more unanswered questions. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next in this series.

[Phillip · Rating 5 out of 5]

The storyline in Spades is intelligent and unique. Not like most young adult novels. what i enjoyed most was the idea of the haunted house and Calise's struggle to fit in. The cause for her hallucinations was unexpected. I'm curious to see what unfolds in book two. Book one was a dark,sensual,pleasant surprise.

[Logic Boy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most often these mysterious saga's often forget the most important element to pour a solidifed foundation of the main character(s). This author get's a total A in this department. I will be honest I was taken back by how the main character arrived into her position as a budding adventure character.

The book evolves brilliantly and the story has intrigue as well as some steamy sexual undertones to keep most of us hoping for even a little more. I was charmed by Spade early and often. Occassionaly, I felt over exposed to some of the characters lustful desires which seemed to always be present(possibly a little boy crazy). However, the author does an excellent job of enticing the reader, but never crossing the often exploited in so many typical works of adventure fiction.

What is so witty about this book is how the leading lady really is perceived to be a misfit, one who doesn't realize her own innate abilities. Her cast of friends and her leader often seem to exploit that, but of course there is a reasonable explanation as to why that drives you to thumb through for more. I am a sucker for books like this and often complete things feeling violated. This book does just the opposite it leads you to politely ask "may I have anoter"!

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not a writer, I can only imagine how difficult it is to try to get your work out there. I've read self-published, first book, first time authors and indi books. But as a reader, my experience with this book was pretty...bad.

The writing was hard to follow, the words, phrases, sentences were so confusing that it didn't make sense at the end. At first I thought maybe this author is from a different country? maybe where she's from they speak that way? Well I checked and she's from here the U.S.

Some scenes were just impossible and with just too many inconsistency! How can this character be able to do that when at first they were doing this? And with so many distractions it was hard to focus on the story and connect with Calise or Christ.

All this time they were training it was to become the perfect thieves! and the author told us vaguely what Christ and his friends were but we were never shown.

I kept waiting for something to happen, there no action at all(except when training) pratically nothing was going on. I was so disappointed.

[Catherine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Review first posted on my blog: thisisjustabookblog.tumblr.com

This book incredibly disappointing and I feel really misled, because it has really good reviews. It averages about 3.8 stars on Goodreads, and there are only 5 reviews under 4 stars on Amazon US (UK only had one review). And I know tastes differ, but this book was just bad. Poorly written, poorly edited, poorly thought out - just plain poor.

So, let’s start with the story. I really felt like I had started the book about a third of the way in, because nothing made sense. I think the author was going for a start-in-the-action kind of thing, which could have been great but this just didn’t really make sense. She kept on referring back to events that had just happen, to the point where I felt she should have just written them. There was a really pointless prologue, written from the p.o.v of the character about half-way through the book. The prologue would’ve been put to much better use if it included the events that happened just before we start. ( for example, her trying to kill herself and him finding her. >/spoiler>).

The characters were just not likable. Firstly, they are thieves, but no reason or justification was given for this. They just are. I take issue with this. It works in Ally Condie’s books about thieves, because they are given morals and made human and it’s just all done in such a way that you like the characters, and besides, the main character, Kat, rebels against the lifestyle anyway. But in this book, we are just told this. They have a great big store of diamonds and apparently like to steal things, and no reason is given. Stealing is wrong. We can try to romanticise it all we want, but unless you give a proper reason for it (Robin Hood style, maybe) then they are committing a crime and being immoral. It just doesn’t work.

The main character, Calise, is just plain annoying. She’s given a room in the attic, roots through all the stuff in there, finds a scarf and starts to wear it, without asking anyone. When people get annoyed at her for doing so, she thinks they were being unreasonable. That scarf obviously belonged to someone, someone who isn’t there anymore. Maybe it meant something to them? I think it’s just completely insensitive of her to not consider this, in my opinion. She’s really shallow. Her reasons for running away are not very good. She’s describes her step-mother as a monster, but all she really tells us about her is that she likes clothes. The author could’ve given her a better backstory, made it more emotional, made her trying to kill herself more realistic. I thought that whole thing was poorly written. Also, she shows no sign of depression/suicidal tendencies throughout the book. This adds no sign of realism or reasons for her attempt; it just seems like sloppy writing.

There’s a real vilification of other female characters in this novel. Her mother died, and is shown to be a good mum, but is rarely brought up. Her step-mother is a ‘monster’, and the only other female character is Blue, who is viscous and takes a disliking to Calise straight away ( to the point where she actually dopes her ).

I hate this trend in YA fiction, of other female characters being vilified. They’re always put in for the sole reason of being everything the main character is not, to show how much better she is. It gets on my nerves and it’s not a healthy thing for teenage girls to keep reading about. These authors put the girls in a competition, usually over a guy. It’s pointless and shallow, and so much more could be made of a really well-rounded character.

This book made me cringe. A lot. The dialogue was just cheesy, and the use of the word ‘ya’ instead of ‘you’ drives me up the wall. The only character development for Kevin was that he says ‘babe’ and both him and Tre talk like wannabe ‘gangsters’. Why? I actually shuddered when, just before a confrontation with Blue, Calise says ‘hell nah’. Why do they do this?

Chris is the ‘love interest’ in this novel, even though he is ten years older than Calise. He’s 28 and she starts the novel as 17, and has a birthday in the middle. I have no problem with age gaps, provided that both the participants are old enough. At 17, in many parts of America, a relationship (or at least a physical one) between Calise and Chris would be illegal (I believe; correct me if I’m wrong here. In the UK, the age of consent is 16, so it’s different). Even at 18, a 10 year age gap at that point in your life is a very big one, because you are at COMPLETELY different points in your life. Not to mention the fact that Chris is in a position of power over Calise, much like a teacher would be, so I can’t help by feel a bit hesitant at the idea of them starting a relationship.

Chris doesn’t even seem very nice. Calise always refers back to the night he saved her life, and how they spent the night talking and sharing secrets. But we didn’t see this. We only have the knowledge of what’s going on right then, and half the time he ignores her. She spends most of her time thinking about his body. How is this in any way a functional relationship.

And, so, we come on to my point about the characters’ appearances. I do not care if a main character is beautiful. I don’t. I don’t even really need to know what they look like. What I care about is their character development, their flaws and hopes and motivations. In poorly written books, like this one, we don’t get any of the latter. We do, however, get pages and pages and PAGES of description about Chris’ appearance. I don’t care if he’s handsome. I care about how he treats her. She even has a makeover at one point and keeps talking about how hot she looks, and how everyone was amazed. THIS DOESN’T MATTER. She doesn’t have a personality, so nice hair isn’t really going to make up for it.

Finally, I’d like to talk about the writing/editing. I cannot be sure that this was put through a spellchecker, let alone had any proofreading. Functional words were often missing (to/of, etc) and more than once I saw ‘would’ve’ where there should’ve been a negative - wouldn’t have. These are basic mistakes, things that could’ve been fixed by a simple read-through. I know that indie publishers can’t always afford a proper editor, but if you really can’t do it yourself, at least get a friend/family member to look your manuscript over, please. Poorly constructed sentences just pull you out of the story and disrupt the reading experience.

The plot did have potential. There were a couple of mysteries (however clueless and unable to put together facts the main character was), which could have been built on. But it wasn’t written well enough. The book seemed to short to me (but this might’ve been because I felt like the beginning was cut off) and the ending was not a good enough cliffhanger. I left the book really feeling like nothing had happened. I wasn’t anywhere different to where I was when we started. I would’ve at least thought she’d have to go through her trial thing. THEY WERE A GROUP OF THIEVES AND THEY DIDN’T DO ANY STEALING.

As I said, I was disappointed with this book. It had so many good reviews and I just feel like I was really let down by it.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Spades by Kristy Evans. I think the characters were well thought out and executed rather well. The story was interesting and kept me reading. The only beef I had with this book was the cliffhanger. I was so into this story and then it just abruptly ended. The good news is the second book is available so you can easily purchase it and keep reading.

I think Chris's character was very mysterious and interesting. There were more questions raised with his character instead of answered in this book. At this point, there isn't much romance going on between he and Calise. Whether there even will be isn't certain. I guess I will have to move on to the second book to find out...and I desperately NEED to know!

I like the main character, Calise. Her mother has died, and her father has moved on with a new woman—a woman Calise can't stand. Calise feels as all hope has been lost and just desperately wants to end it all and be with her mother again. Her attempt at suicide failed when Chris found and saved her. He brings her into his super secret world, now it's up to Calise to find the courage and strength to belong.

Chris's friends and co-workers are Tre, Kevin, and Blue. Tre is a fun character, Kevin is kind of indifferent at this point, and Blue is a huffy mean girl. Their personalities are all different therefore they all work really well together in this story.

Overall, I really liked Spades and have already purchased the second book. I absolutely recommend this story if you are a fan of paranormal romance. Right now, Spades book 1 is free on Amazon.



*This e-book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

*Book Hollow*

[Chris G · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a very interesting read and not what I really expected or the outcome for that matter. I normally read too many book than I should so I took a shot with this one after reading some other reviews.

The whole story revolves around or main character Calise who lives in California. Calise believes she has nothing to live after been saved from an attempted suicide. He savior introduces her to a weird group of kids (cult like) and being intrigued by this strange band she is initiated in their group. Feeling like finally that she had a place to fit in to. From there she goes on an epic action filled adventure across the American southwest.

The story brings her for training at their order’s secluded training area in Arkansas. It takes until the end of the story to figure out what the group’s real purpose is and to find the real truth behind them. This book has a great story which is really hard to write about without giving to much a way.

This story is filled with adventure and action packed fun. If you’re looking for a book that is an easy read with lots of twists and turns, then this is the book for you.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Calise is a young lady, who has had a few problems in her life. The biggest one is she hates living with her father and step-mother. But she found a way out. Through her new friend Chris and the group he belongs to. All of the members of the group have a mysterious spade tattoo that Calise wants to know more about. But the answers are not coming quickly. And there is a mysterious person telling her to “RUN”.
This is the second book in a series, and I really enjoyed reading it. The book focuses on Calise, who wants a change in her life, and she is willing to go to extremes to make them. The characters were diverse and interesting. And all of them decided to leave behind their old lives to create another. I really liked the fact that each of the characters is extremely hard working.
This book is classified as young adult. But that is mainly due to the fact that most of the characters are teenagers. The topics covered in the book could apply to any age group. And I can hardly wait for the next book in the series.

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

All three books were AMAZING! I don't understand who could NOT love these books. Seriously. I read all of them in two days and couldn't put my kindle down. It starts off intriguing and mysterious and suddenly the plot just takes me over. bY book three, I'm addicted. The characters are so natural! I want to be there with them! this world really comes to life, and I love how they gradually start taking Calise in. I can easily see SPADES being a movie or maybe on Tv. Might even be my favorite read this year.

[Tish · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe this book just wasn't my cup of tea, I thought it was going to be a type of mystery/love story between her and Chris. But in my opinion it was just a story about nothing. I started it and kept thinking something would happen, or be revealed, that it would pick up and it never did. Got it for free on Amazon so can't complain too much.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this book, and I'm definitely looking into reading book 2. The story has a perfect balance of lust, mystery, and intrigue.

[Lydia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thought I would read a free book I'd gotten a while ago. It wasn't my thing.

[Lady Entropy · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow start

Slow start, but gains speed halfway through. Expect type-os that made some sentences hard to read. Overall, a fun and easy read.

[Cali · Rating 1 out of 5]

God this book was absolute garbage. I equal parts hate and admire the fact that I actually spent the time to finish it.

Writing? Atrocious. Characters? What a lol. Plot? Nonexistent.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Calise is a 17 year old who has become emotionally distraught by the demands placed on her by her new step-mother. In a moment of desperation, she decides to end her own life in an attempt to join her deceased mother in heaven. She is rescued by Chris, a gorgeous older man who treats her slashed wrists and represents a new hope to Calise. Most likely this is due to a combination of Florence Nightingale Syndrome and a schoolgirl crush where Calise develops feelings for him and hopes that he feels the same way.

While this book has some serious editing issues, the plot is very compelling and easily manages to just suck the reader right into the story. Anyone who has had to deal with the early death of a parent followed by the introduction of a new step-parent cannot help but feel a bit of empathy for our heroine, even if we don't necessarily agree with how she decided to deal with the situation. But teenagers are impetuous creatures and are not hardly known for making rational decisions.

I was a bit disappointed when I got to the last page of this book ... I can't call it the conclusion or even the end of the story, because it isn't. It isn't even a cliff hanger which I'm always very quick to voice my outrage against, it was more of a dead end. However, there is a set precedence for this seemingly "new trend" writers today have of publishing their stories in installments. Even in literature, history repeats itself. Charles Dickens is an early example of an author who often published his books in installments. In fact, the storyline was shaped based on public opinions of the chapters already in circulation. In recent history, Stephen King published The Green Mile in installments, John Saul did the same with his Black Chronicles, and probably many others that I'm not aware of. Personally, I would rather read a single 800+ page book with a complete story than 4 or 5 small installments, but I'm impatient like that and don't want to be kept waiting to find out what happens next.

If you enjoy paranormal young adult books, you should definitely give this series a read, but fair warning, you may want to be sure to have the entire series on hand if you are impatient like me and want to continue the story right away.

[Stacy Sabala · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Review- Spades by Kristy Evans
Calise felt her life was dark and no longer worth it. She decided to end it. However a stranger named Chris refused to let her. He saved her life that night in many ways. He physically saved her life then invited her to come with him and join his group.
Chris is a thief and leads a group of young thieves. Tre, Kevin and Blue are around Calise’s age. However, they don’t like her being there. Blue is down right hateful. Calise is only there because of Chris. She is drawn to him and he affects her intensely. She also knows there is something else going on. She is having strange nightmares and seeing things. She thinks she is losing her mind. She refuses to tell anyone for fear of being sent home. Unfortunately, Chris continues to be hot and cold when he interacts with her.
Her feelings for him are strong and she refuses to be sent home. She tries hard in training when Tre finally is allowed to do so. Calise has to fight for her place and the respect she really would like to have. Her goal is to be part of the group. She does everything she possibly can do so. Even though she is under the shadow of a missing woman that everyone in the group respects.
When she realizes why she is there, she is unsure what she should think and continue. Her future is in the balance.
This book was almost frustrating for me. It was a good story but I couldn’t figure out anything that was going on. The author throws something at the reader, then once you start to figure out what is going on it changes. You question everything you were thinking. After reading the book, I’m still unsure what is really going on. The author didn’t really answer any of the reader’s questions. In fact I was left with more. It drove me crazy. Were the dreams real and mean anything? Who was the mysterious guy? Why was she really there?
There is definitely a lead in for the next installation. The characters were introduced and explored a bit. It seemed that was about all the author gave the reader in this book. I think it is a good storyline but I wish I knew a little more about what is going on. I give it a 3 out of 5.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure the synopsis explains the story very well. Basically, its about a girl who is pretty brave and depressed, unable to live with her horrible stepmom any longer and how her dad ignores her, she tries to kill herself in the bathroom at an opera they are attending. A mysterious man by the name of Chris saves her and whisks her off to a secret cabin in the middle of nowhere, to train for a new profession with his "friends."

This sounds pretty sinister, which it is, but not Chris himself. He is pretty awesome! His friends, though--Tru, Kevin,and especially, Blu--want nothing to do with Calise. This makes this new life for her pretty difficult. Even worse, she starts hallucinating right when she gets there, and feels just off. It seems the attic she is staying in is haunted, so it makes for a creepy atmosphere!

The story sucked me right in. I really enjoyed this book overall. It needed a little editing help, and the ending seemed kinda weird--it just kinda ENDED. The characters and the mysteries, and basic plot was very good, though!

I got this one for free from Barnes & Noble, but last I checked it was $2.99. I would say it is worth that price, and I will be checking out the sequel! 3.5 stars!

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was difficult to read at first because there seemed to be no logic to a plot that begins with a seventeen year old girl escaping her life with an unloving father and overbearing stepmother by slitting her wrists. She is rescued by a mysterious stranger and is taken to his house instead of a hospital to have her injuries taken care of which doesn't seem plausible unless her injuries weren't severe or he had medical training; neither of which is evident. For half the book I was mystified by Calise's actions as she didn't seem at all like a suicidal teen obsessed with her handsome rescuer. I quickly got sick of her enthrallment with Chris but when he introduces her to his mysterious team of thieves I was pleasantly surprised by the developing characters of Tre, Blue, and Kevin as they clash with Calise. As she begins training with the team Calise gets caught up in the mystery surrounding Chris while learning to adapt to his friends' idiosyncrasies. And through the visions and hallucinations that seem to stalk her the threads of the mystery begin to weave together as the suspense intensifies.
I am looking forward to reading Kristy's second book and know it will be even better.

[Deea Neagu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fairly a new concept, for me at least, and I enjoyed every part of the book. The writing style was easy and the action fast placed. The romantic part of the story flowed normally; I always appreciate when there isn’t instant love in a book and it is clear from the start that there might be just physical attraction.

Calise Thomas, the main character, is that kind of teenage girl that gets thru enough. She gets to experience grief, despair and depression and with the help of Chris she slowly learns how to let all those feelings behind.

I liked the idea of the secret group in the woods and the whole training part, and I felt like going mad until the true purpose of that group was revealed just at the end of the story. Still “Spades” had a cliffhanger that makes you need to read the second book as soon as possible.

I would love to tell you more, but I am afraid not to give any spoilers. I will tell you just this: if you need a mystery book combined with a little romance and action, you will absolutely love this.

[Maura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book on Amazon for free, which is why I read it at all. I'm a sucker for teen fantasy-type of novels. This book needs a good editor. There were some very obvious typos and awkward sentences. I also noticed multiple continuity issues with both this book as well as its sequel. Yes, I did purchase the second book and paid money for it because I actually did get pulled into the story enough to want to see how the story would play out. The main character, Calise, needs much more development and perhaps some insight to her life before her suicide attempt. Throughout much of this book I thought she came off as vapid, naive, and immature for an 18 year old girl. It also irritates me how little description we are given of the characters. All in all I enjoyed the read and given that these books are short I'll likely read the next installment when it comes out, but I would have enjoyed it better if the author took the time to proofread her work, or at least have a friend do it. I sincerely hope she will rework the books I the future.

[Jeff Dawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read!

For a YA book, this is very well written and edited. There are a few issues, but nothing that derails this well thought out story. Kristie is right up there with Trish Dawson and K.S. Haigwood.
The main character, Calise, is a typical messed up teenager. Her mother died, her father remarried and she’s mad as hell at the world. Sound familiar? I know, we’ve heard this before, or have we? Calise attempts to take her life but it saved by a mysterious man named Chris, who being the “Knight in Shining Armor,” takes her under his wings and introduces her to a world far from home. This is where it differs from the pack. Chris is the member of a secret organization, The Guardians. They make their living stealing jewels. Now, if that hasn’t piqued your curiosity, there is an undercurrent story with a paranormal touch. Chris’ old partner, JE, disappeared without a trace, or has she?
I don’t mind saying it, even at my age, this is a well crafted story and I believe I’ll be reading the next one.

A solid four.

Good job Kristie.

[Carmen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was okay. It had a lot of grammatical errors, especially towards the end. I just could not understand Calise's obsession with Chris. Besides the fact that he saved her and he was apparently hot, what else? They didn't really have any special moments after that. There really wasn't a build up towards anything special between them.

The other thing that bothered me was that she called her mom, mom - mother - Diane, it was just weird, stick with one.

It was an easy read with good descriptions. I almost stopped reading it to start another book, but I have never done that before and I was determined to finish it. It's a series so I might purchase the second book only because I don't like to not have closure.

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't horrible, it wasn't even bad, it just wasn't great.

[Crystal Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy book series, so when I stumbled upon Spades by Kristy Evans, I was quite excited! It lived up to all my expectations. It was a fast, riveting young adult novel that I would share with anyone. We follow 17 year old Calise who is going through the hardship of just having lost her mother. During this, she finds her safe haven in the woods with the guys she trains with. They all have a Spade tattoo, and she wants to find out why. One of the tattooed guys, Chris, appeals to Calise more than the others; she has to figure out what to do with those feelings during this all. An ‘on-the-edge-of-your-seat’ story, you just aren’t able to put it down! It does get intense in parts, but that only adds to the depth of the book. I can’t wait to read the next book! Thanks for a great read.

[Lcdk · Rating 5 out of 5]

t didn't take too long for me to get hooked right into this book, the story is really intriguing and put together in a really clever way and the characters all have a solid foundation and personality to them. The writing is excellent and put together in a way that puts a really good visual in your mind and transposes the authors expression very creatively. So the writing and wordplay is good but what about the plot? The story itself is really different than usual in a completely positive way, this isn't a generic and ordinary book in the genre. It's full of twists and turns that really kept me hooked the whole way through and left me wanting more and more. Kristy is an excellent author and I can't wait to read some future releases

[Marguerite Publishing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spades (Book One) is a solid, well written story. I found it to be completely intense. The characters are thoroughly developed and are very realistic. The details and the setting are so descriptive that I felt like I was actually in the scenes myself. I always read books before I let my daughter read them, and this book is totally suitable for a young adult. The main character, Calise, is a strong, young woman, who pulls the reader into the story. In reference to the other reviews that complained that the story didn't have an ending, the fact that it is titled "Book One" should have made them realize the story continued past this book. The plot twists kept me turning the pages and I am looking forward to reading the other books in this series. THUMBS UP!!

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m glad I had this book recommended to me. I read it through in one sitting and thoroughly enjoyed it and went to look for the next book. It is well written which makes for an easy read but it captivates you enough to keep reading. After a few pages I was immersed in a world mixed with drama, thriller, and a hint of romance.

The lead character Calise is very complex and it’s interesting to see how she evolves throughout the book after the loss she suffers and hitting rock bottom. Written the way it is you feel as if you are living through her. I would recommend this book to young and old, alike.

[Jay Douglass · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spades is a delightful mystery full of intrigue and interesting characters. Evans chooses an appropriate setting deep in the Arkansas woods, as teen Calise Thomas is struggling with the recent death of her mother.And her relationship with her father is strained by his decision to remarry. She isn't alone though as she has her male companion Chris to comfort her. She even attempted suicide before coming here, being saved by Chris The plot is at times riveting and intense. Even a bit complicated. But there is a romance and a bit of the supernatural. The book has a good cadence and at a perfect 148 pages, there is a room for a sequel which I'll be anxious to read.

[Courtney Rene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spades by Kristy Evans, was a bit of surprise read for me. It did take a chapter or two to really get me involved, but once it did, it’s a fun and fast read and one I didn’t want to put down. I found the story to be thoroughly developed and the characters easy to connect with and fun to get to know. The dialogue was a bit stiff in the beginning but again once the story picked up, so did the dialogue. The story has a bit of romance, a bit of thriller and a bit of paranormal to it. I just love that. This book is well worth your time and I recommend it for anyone that enjoys YA books.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a bit skeptical starting in on this book. Seemed like nearly generic YA feel-good.

However, any time you throw in an over-sized feline into the mix with ghosts, attempt at suicide and a murder mystery - I'm hooked. This being the first of it's kind that I read, I must say Kristy did a lovely job with the whole thing.

The only thing that drove me bugs is expression "pick locking" instead of "lock picking" - but then I'm bit of a Blue when it comes to silly things like that...

All in all awesome read - and I read every single word. Would love to read the sequel. :)